Showing Dad Some Love

June 15, 2012

In honor of Father’s Day, our employees share favorite memories, best advice, and give shout-outs to their dads. Here’s what they say:

“Cheers to the two headed monster shirt trick mum loved. Cheers to weekends of James Bond movie marathons and teaching me how to ski down a double black diamond. Cheers to all the ballet recitals and competitions you sat through for 18 years, and all the times you helped out back stage. Cheers to cheering louder than all the other dads when I walked across the stage graduating from university. Cheers to being my biggest travel blog fan. Cheers to making me the woman I am today and for always believing in me. I am so lucky to have you in my life. Love you dad. This cheers goes to you.” -Sarah E., Human Resources Coordinator

“I wanted to show my Dad some love! He has been the most incredibly supportive Dad all my life but my fondest memories involve sport. He would travel all over London watching me play football (soccer) no matter what the weather (mostly raining!) and he was normally the only Dad on the touchline supporting their son. I am also incredibly proud of the success he has had as a Film Editor. He has worked on several films, some of which have been recognized at the Cannes Film Festival with his most recent film winning one of the main prizes. I attach a photo of him on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with Eric Cantona (who appeared in one of the films). My Dad is the one second to the right!” -Simon M., Director Marketing EMEA

“My favorite memory with my Dad is bittersweet…it was this past January when I was so fortunate to spend an entire week with him! My Dad loved to golf, and his illness hadn’t allowed him to golf in quite a while. We watched a PGA tournament together, and he commented how beautiful the golf course was in La Jolla, CA! What Dad didn’t realize was that this tournament was recorded, and they were simultaneously broadcasting it…we watched the same tournament twice and he didn’t realize it. We lost my Dad in February of this year. I wouldn’t have changed that day for anything- it still makes me smile! He was the best Dad that anyone could ask for!” -Jill G., Territory Account Manager

“When I sit down and try to express in words why I love my Dad, I keep coming back to one word; support. Support is interesting because it can come in so many different forms and actions. I also believe you can be too supported or not supported enough, which draws a very thin line that can be excruciating to walk. Throughout my lifetime I’ve felt that my Dad has walked that tightrope perfectly. He has been a voice of reason even when it was the last thing he knew I wanted to hear. He pushes me when I don’t necessarily want to be pushed. He expects things out of me that I’m not always sure I’m capable of. He has been a role model through the highest and lowest moments of my life. His support of not only me, but my whole family, is what I love most and can’t imagine being without. Thanks Dad.” – Alex W., Account Executive

“One of my favorite memories with my Dad is our trek to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite, CA. This 15.5 roundtrip hike took us 18 hours. When I injured my knee on the way down and my Dad had to half carry me down the mountain. Always the trooper, he stayed strong and positive, step after step, mile after mile. My Dad has always been someone I could lean on and depend on and that long day he proved once again that he always has my back.” -Angela S., Sr. OD Consultant

“My father passed away suddenly when I was 12. My dad was a great tinkerer and builder. He made a number of bicycles for me including a bike with a huge basket on the front for delivering newspapers. When I was younger he built me a six-person surrey (a four-wheeled ‘bicycle’ that drives like a car but is peddle-powered.) In fact, before my dad died, I think I only owned one ‘store-bought’ bike. All the rest he built for me.

In addition to bikes of all shapes and sizes (including an old-fashioned ‘high wheel’ bike) he also made all sorts of desktop ‘creatures’ out of scrap bits from around the shop. For example, he made a kangaroo out of a nail, a small section of pipe for the pouch, some nuts and a few washers. He would bend and shape all of the components and then weld them together. I still have some of his creations sitting on my desk at home. He also loved to collect signs and odd sayings. If he found a saying he liked, he would use a wood burner to create a sign to hang in the shop. One of his favorites was ‘Before you louse things up thimk. After you louse things up snile.’” -James B., Sr. Software Engineer

“To my multi-faceted dad: the runner, history lover, business leader, mentor, enthusiastic attendee of each dance recital, super-fast reader, premium chocolate advocate, family man, sports enthusiast, sky-diver and fellow Longhorn… Thank you for 19 years of wonderful memories, support, guidance and always encouraging me to follow my dreams. All those years of back-to-school shopping, explaining football, checking my math homework and sitting on the edge of the couch watching ’24’ mean more to me than you’ll ever know. I couldn’t ask for a better dad. Happy Father’s Day! I’ll be sure to burn your breakfast toast a little today just how you like it. Love, Rachie” -Rachel T., Employment Branding Intern

“I love my dad because he is the most real and genuine person I’ve ever known with a gigantic heart and not a mean bone in his body. My favorite times spent with him are the adventures around San Francisco that he’s been taking me on since I was kid and continues to do to this day. My dad truly means the world to me.” -Lindsay H., Lead Web Producer